Missing You
by strawberrymagic01
Summary: "You are the best friend anyone could ask for." Harley Taylor could say exactly the same about Lula Tsibi, but it was too late now. He'd told her that he loved her, but that couldn't stop immigration from sending her back. A short story of how Harley reflects on his friendship with Lula. Contains a few mentions of drugs/alcohol, nothing serious. This is Waterloo Road after all!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know it's annoying to have authors notes at the beginning of a story so I apologise! Basically I really loved Lula's last episode and but I hate that she's left (tbh they should just bring her back) especially since Harley and Lula finally confessed their feelings. So I realised there's no stories on here about them so I wanted to have a go. It will mostly be about Harley because he's still at the school, and it might seem a little depressing for him but he's just lost his best friend, so although it's not in first person I tried to capture the heart break he's feeling. Sorry if it's not that great :S Might do a couple more chapters, but please let me know what you think :)**

Missing you

Harley was exhausted. Dumping his bag on his bed he threw off his blazer and collapsed onto his duvet, running his hands over his face and through his messy hair. His eyes were sore and still watery, and his chest felt heavy. His Lula was gone. How could they take her? She was such an asset to the country, she would have contributed, and so much more than the likes of Barry Barry. She was beyond great, and he couldn't believe he didn't tell her sooner.

She was so sure of herself, as if no one could sway her. He thought of how whenever the teacher was absent for whatever reason (which was quite common in Waterloo Road) she would always get on with her work, and she'd make him do it too. She didn't care about the other kids who threw paper around or how Harley wasn't bothered half the time, she was serious. She had this opportunity to study, so she took it. She'd make him work too, though he never really did. And every stupid mistake he made, she was there to correct him.

He remembered when Mr Budgen had gotten ill. Harley didn't know what exactly it was at first, but he wasn't stupid, he had his suspicions. Mr Budgen wouldn't tell him, he was 'too young to understand'. He didn't confide in Lula straight away, mostly because he was sick of her condescending tone, especially when it came to choices he made. That was the same day he bought drugs. He shuddered, remembering how Fergal had sold him these pills; "Like caffeine," He said. He hadn't really wanted to take them, but he wanted to prove himself. It wasn't fair that everyone treated him like a kid. He was fifteen, he could make his own choices without Lula treating him like he was five, and unlike what Mr Budgen thought he _did_ understand serious things, people had no right to call him a kid anymore. He could make his own decisions, Pheonix was gone and he was still functioning, didn't that prove it? He wasn't some puppet to be pushed around.

His palms tingle as his mind flashes to the moment when he lost his balance on the roof, and found himself swaying back and forth, his unfocused mind suddenly active with the adrenaline rush. He could feel how numb his hands felt, clinging to the aerial. Harley grimaced, though he had enjoyed the feeling of freedom in the moment, he regretted it after. Especially when he faced Lula again, and saw the disappointment written all over her face. Before it had just angered him, but now he just felt stupid. She just hugged him though, and never mentioned it again. No lecture, no comment and no telling him off like he was a child. Just a hug.

She was like that though, unpredictable at times. Like her love for animals, though he thought it was excessive he wasn't bothered by it, it made her who she was. She'd even stop for the stray cats behind the school despite seeing them every day. He didn't mind, it wasn't like he didn't obsess over football matches, but he had never gone into overdrive. Then one time, Lula had.

Maybe it was her sense of justice, or maybe it was her stubbornness. That wacky science teacher had manipulated her too. But she had a big heart, she only wanted to help. She was determined and strong willed, and that was what Harley liked about her. And just like she had done for him, he sat with her and let her talk to him when she confessed that though she was passionate about animal rights, but maybe the therapist was right- old memories were affecting her. He couldn't give her advice like she had done so many times, but he could offer her a shoulder and he would just listen, and that was what she needed.

They'd been best friends for a year now, and though that may not seem long, they were unbelievably close. Harley couldn't imagine spending English alone now, an empty space next to him. His eyes flickered over to his bed side table, where a copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' lay. They weren't studying it, but Lula wanted him to read it. She said it was one of her favourites, and it was worth it. He supposed he could get round to it now. It was going to be tough, adjusting without his best friend around. He was used to spending every day with Lula, skyping after school when they were bored, or chilling at the school house and just talking about life. They talked about everything.

They had talked about the past, though she didn't open up too much on that. She missed her dad, who had been sent back to Congo. She didn't get upset about it anymore, but once she opened up to Harley she had told him that her dad was illegal, and when he had got very sick she had called an ambulance because she hated seeing him in so much pain. He got sent back, and she said he was as good as dead, they hadn't heard from him in half a year. Harley had stayed with her on her dad's birthday, when they had tried calling their family for any news and got nothing. She had done the same for him, comforting him when it was his Nan's death anniversary.

She talked about religion sometimes, but she never imposed it on him. Harley wasn't religious, he preferred to not label himself as he didn't know what he believed in, and she told him that was called being 'agnostic'. Yet he still listened to her as she spoke about Christianity, and he wondered how she still had faith after her tough beginnings in Waterloo Road.

_Stop it. _He told himself, but as he sat there, he couldn't keep his mind off her. The pile of unfinished homework lay on his desk and downstairs he could hear Lenny and Lisa fighting over what to watch on TV. Harley didn't want to talk to anyone, he just wanted to know Lula was going to be okay. So he ignored the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that he was being too clingy, and picked up his phone.

"Harley," Lula says his name as if he is the only stability in her life at that moment.

"Hiya." He replies, scooting up on his bed to rest his back against the headboard. "I just wanted to see if you're okay." Immediately he feels stupid, of course she isn't okay. Just from hearing her voice for a moment he can tell she has been crying recently.

His eyes wander to the window, where he can see the driveway. Rhiannon stumbled past Mrs Budgen's car, looking slightly nauseous. "I'm okay. I am with my mother now." She tells him. "Are you okay?"

Harley paused, unsure of how to reply. Was he really okay? No, he wasn't. His eyes were red rimmed and his chest ached, but he couldn't worry her even more. But he couldn't say he was fine. That was a complete lie and would probably make her feel as if he had gotten over everything already, which was far from true. "Not really." He settled for. "I keep thinking today was just in my head, like tomorrow's gonna be normal," He swallowed hard.

Lula sighed on the other end, "Me too. I just keep thinking... what will I do now?" She said quietly.

"You'll be fine, you're so clever all the best schools out there will want you. Then one day you can come back." Harley said firmly, as if he was trying to make himself believe it. She had to come back, what about university? She had that letter of acceptance in her school bag, and he was certain that they would take her when she returned. Of course they would, he told himself.

"I want to come back. I don't know how, but maybe in a year or two or maybe sooner. And then I can finish my studies." She says, the faintest glimmer of hope present in her voice.

"I'll be looking forward to that day."

Lula went silent this time, though he could still hear her breathing quietly, steadily. She wasn't crying, he thought gratefully. "What will you do?" She finally asked, and this caught him off guard.

What would he do? Finish school, he guessed. Do his A levels, and then... He had no idea. Would he go work with his dad? He'd have a job, though he wasn't really sure that he wanted to work in the plumbing business. He liked the idea of writing, but what if he didn't get anywhere? He wasn't like Lula, he wasn't heading on the path to big things. He was just Harley, the boy who left it too late to tell the girl that he loved her.

"I'll do my A levels." He said, as she expected. "And... I'll wait for you to come back."

He was met with silence again, and he suddenly began to regret what he said. Was it too much? Maybe she would want to start over if she ever returned, and starting over meant he would not be in her life. Well done Harley, he thought to himself, embarrassed. Just muck things up further, why don't you. Then he hears that her once steady breathing was coming in quiet gasps, and he realises that she's crying again. "Oh Harley." She manages to say. "I care about you very much."

He didn't mean to make her cry. He can see before his eyes Lula sitting in a chair, her eyelashes laced with tears as she talks to him. "I care about you too," He replies, feeling slightly relieved.

She knows he can't see her but she smiles, her heavy heart glowing a little. "But don't waste your time waiting for me. You carry on, and when I come back we'll meet again."

Harley notices how she says 'when' instead of 'if', and he feels part of the weight in his chest lift. She wanted to come back, and if anything Lula was stubborn. "Yeah. How's your mum?"

"She is okay, now I am here. There are more people coming to talk to us soon. They want to talk about what is happening to our flat." She told him, sighing.

"D'you think they'll let you take your stuff?"

"I don't know. But these people are not completely unkind, so maybe." She is quiet for a moment after this, and he can hear her quietly talking to someone else. Suddenly she picks up the phone again. "I have to go. Bye, Harley." Lula's voice was filled with anticipation. Harley felt his heart skip with shock and he sat up, clasping his phone tighter.

"Wait, Lula, when will we talk again?" He rushed desperately, but buzzing on the line told him she had already hung up, and his words had fallen on deaf ears. Swallowing hard, he dropped his phone, not even hearing as it clattered to the floor. Then he kicked his bag off the bed and slumped back on the bed.

There was quiet knock on the door before it opened slowly and Mrs Budgen poked her head around the gap. When she saw his distraught face she opened the door wider and walked in cautiously, a tray balancing on one hand. "That Lula?" She asked, nodding to the phone that lay on the floor. Harley sighed and nodded, his face rigid as he tried to fight off the tears. "I thought I'd bring you dinner today." Mrs Budgen then said, tactfully changing the subject. "Y'know, to give you a break from that lot." She gestured downstairs, where loud chattering and the clatter of cutlery could be heard. Harley nodded again, avoiding her gaze. Sensing that he needed space, she hesitated before placing the tray on his desk and then turned to the door. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

When Mrs Budgen left, Harley got up and sat down in front of his dinner and picked at the chips, trying to get his mind off the days events. Before long his memory had ventured to Lula again, and the last moments he had spent with her before she left. Pushing the tray away in frustration, he stood up and went to pick up his phone, and scrolled through the contacts until he reached a certain name.

The phone rung a few times before it was answered, and there was a silence before the receiver said "Alright there, bro?"

"Hey, Pheonix... not really." Harley replied.

Whatever Pheonix had been doing, he seemed to stop to give his brother full attention. "What happened?"

"It's... It's Lula... she's been deported." He said, his voice slightly choked.

Pheonix was silent for a moment. "Want me to come up tomorrow?"

"Can you?" Harley asked, his eyes lighting up faintly as the idea of seeing his brother after ages consumed his thoughts.

"Well I've got a job on but I'll cancel it. Get the playstation ready, cause I'm coming to see you, bro!" Pheonix replied. Harley grinned, feeling some of the weight lift off his shoulders. At least he had something to get his mind off the eventful day. Sitting back on the bed, his eyes found the copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' that sat on the bed side table. Smiling sadly he picked it up, he might as well read it now, and pass the time until Pheonix turned up.

**A/N: So I'm not sure how this went or if it was too soppy or whatever, but let me know please :) **


	2. Chapter 2

He was doing alright mostly, people were being especially around him in their attempts to keep his mind off it, and though it didn't usually work he was grateful. Even Shaznay wasn't making her usual comments when she was in a class with him.

It had been a week since Lula had left, and they had heard nothing. Not a call, a text, an email, nothing. He didn't say a thing but it was clear to everyone that he was terrified for her on top of missing her as well. He didn't know much about Congo, he never really mentioned it to Lula for fear of upsetting her, but he knew how dangerous it was. He knew there were child soldiers, and that a few members of her family had just disappeared.

For awhile he thought that maybe she had been reunited with her father, but soon the negative thoughts started creeping back in. Last he had heard, her father had stopped writing to them. He could be dead, or in a lot of trouble.

He woke up that morning feeling alright, he laughed at Rhiannon's terrible jokes at breakfast (not noticing the pleased smile on Mrs Budgen's face) and had participated in the first class he had that morning-she was never in that class anyway.

But then he checked his phone at break, and like the past six days, there were no texts, no emails. Just like that his mood plummeted, and he found himself thinking somewhat selfishly, that hopefully she hadn't been reunited with her dad. She would be safer without him, right?

Sitting down at a computer in the library, he opened his school email and started a new one, typing in Lula's email address. His fingers hesitated over the keyboard as he thought of what to write. Tapping his foot impatiently, he jumped when a honeyed voice rang out from the other side of the desk. "Can you stop that, please?" It was Gabriella, and despite her politeness her voice held no sign of kindness. Frowning he stopped tapping, and turned back to the computer. "You're Harley, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied.

"I see. You were friends with that Lula girl, weren't you." Her tone was matter of fact, and she had a slight smile on her face.

Harley gave up writing his email, and clicked the exit button. "What do you mean, 'were'? We're still friends." He said quietly, starting to stand up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed after your failed campaign she would have dropped you quickly. Plus, why would she bother with her friends here when she's probably caring more about not getting kidnapped? " Gabriella said it in such away that Harley flinched.

"Piss off, you probably don't know anything about Congo." He snapped. Realisticly, he knew it wasn't that likely that she would be kidnapped but Gabriella's words were laced with a sense that she was so sure of herself, and it caused a chill to run through him. Plus her sophisticated accent and poise made it seem like she knew everything, and as if he was a stupid little kid who couldn't help his best friend.

"Oh, I know what's happening in the _Democratic Republic_ of Congo." She said, confirming his thoughts. "Unlike you uncultured people of this school, I try to keep an awareness of the world." Gabriella replied. Harley grabbed his bag, avoiding her piercing gaze. Realising she had upset him, she seemed to reconsider her words, as if she felt slightly sorry for the boy. After all, she had no one, and now neither did he. "Look, I'm sure she's going to be okay, she's a clever girl so she'll be careful and-"

"I said piss off, yeah?" Harley couldn't listen to anymore, pushing his chair away forcefully he stormed out of the library, feeling his mood go from bad to worse.

English passed by extremely slowly. Every time Harley glanced at the clock the hands seemed frozen. Lula should be sitting next to him, furiously scribbling notes. Saying that, Mr Budgen should be lounging with his feet on the desk, a newspaper held indiscreetly in front of him. At that moment, Harley had never felt so alone. Not even the day his nan died, at least he had Pheonix to look after him. Pheonix had left after a day, he had to get back as he had no where to stay and had work in the morning. As soon as the bell rang Harley had disappeared the second Mrs Mulgrew stopped talking.

He found himself slumped on the bench that stood in the garden of the school. There were two more trees since Denzil's, one for Mr Clarkson and one for Mr Budgen. Grantly's hadn't grown much, it had only been over one term since his death. Yet it still was a source of some comfort, along with the peacefulness that came with it.

There was no one around, everyone was in lessons or the library, which was where he was supposed to be yet he felt his free period would be no use. Checking his phone yet again, Harley saw there was nothing new.

Harley still couldn't believe it had taken him so long to tell her. He really had only just realised it not too long before, but he tried to squash his feelings down because they were best friends, and he didn't want to feel that way about his best friend. Her news had hit him in the face, woken him up. She was leaving, and it was his last chance. It took him a while to tell her, he was scared she'd be angry after he told Maggie where she was. He almost didn't do it, but then he thought, what would Pheonix do? He probably would have told her well before. But he wasn't Pheonix, he was Harley. He would do it his own way.

When she told him she loved him as well, it was bitter sweet. His eyes stung with tears but he ached to smile, because she felt the same way. Of course he felt stupid for not telling her before, but he did it. He loved Lula with all her imperfections because she understood him, however different they were. But of course he didn't know what love really was, did he? He was 'just a kid' after all.

The bench sank a little as he felt someone else sitting down, and looking up he saw it was Archie.

"You alright?" He asked, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. Harley nodded, suddenly irked that his quiet had been disturbed.

Archie was nice enough, if not a little outspoken. "I'm fine. Just needed some air,"

"Ah right, Gabriella is a bit..." He paused for a moment, smirking. "well.. bitchy, if that's not too far."

"Oh, you saw that." Harley said quietly, he hadn't realised there was anyone else in the library at the time. Archie shrugged, nodding. "Doesn't matter though, she's just a stuck up cow."

Archie laughed, lounging back. "Heard about Darren then? Turns out he's been taking photos of the girls in the changing rooms. Lenny told me, he said they're well pissed off. Dunno about that really though, the girls in this school were probably waiting for something like this." He said, shaking his head.

"Lula wouldn't." Harley told him stiffly.

"Oh no, I didn't mean- yeah that was a bit far, sorry. Should we get some lunch?" Archie backtracked, his relaxed demeanor becoming uncomfortable. He'd tried steering the conversation away from Lula, but it seemed like Harley was still hurting. His efforts didn't pay off though.

"Nah, not hungry." Harley sighed, standing up. He grabbed his bag and walked off briskly in the direction of the library. Maybe people would leave him alone in there. To his annoyance Archie followed him, but he didn't try starting a conversation. On the way he passed Maggie, who stopped cheerfully as she spotted him.

"You okay, pet?" She asked kindly, noticing how his face was crestfallen.

"I'm fine, alright? Why won't people _leave me alone_?!" He snapped, pushing past and storming into the library where he dropped his bag and stood there, breathing heavily. One week, with nothing. That was seven days, and the possibility of something going wrong for each day. She wasn't safe, and she probably wasn't happy either. It wasn't fair, she had every right to stay in the UK! Everyone in the school agreed, couldn't the stupid immigration see that? They protested, they did as much they could!

But maybe it was his fault. He threw the paint can, and it could have hurt Mrs Spark. But he'd been so angry, she just wouldn't shut up with her views, she just wouldn't give it a rest, and he just couldn't stop himself-

He just couldn't take it anymore, and he just wanted to sit down and cry. One week. One week too long. He knocked the pile of text books off of the desk, feeling slightly better as he heard the sound of them crash to the floor. It didn't change anything though. The silence that followed made him uncomfortable, like an itch, and no one was around. Breathing heavily Harley stood there, and slowly tears started running down his face and he felt stupid because all he could do was stand there and cry whilst Lula was out there somewhere in a dangerous country.

He couldn't stand the silence anymore, and suddenly he was pushing the books off of the shelves throwing them, kicking anything in his sight, anything to release the pain, he saw red. He was so upset that he couldn't see Mrs Mcfall rush in, or the crowd of people outside the library who dispersed quickly in her presence.

"Put that down, right now!" Her voice shocked him, and he stopped still, holding a monitor in his hands. He watched Mrs Mcfall approach him, her face a picture of shock as she took in the messy surroundings. He didn't care about the stupid books.

"It's not fair, Miss!" He wept, subconsciously putting the monitor back on the table. "We've not heard anything! It's been a week and she hasn't emailed, called, nothing,"

Mrs Mcfall looked distressed to see Harley in such a state. "I know, but that's not a reason to take your frustrations out on the library!" She scolded, and raised her eyes from the chaos on the floor to meet red eyes and wet cheeks. "Oh Harley." She sighed. "We have to be patient, we will hear from Lula again!" She soothed. _Bullshit! She doesn't know what's gonna happen! _Harley thought angrily, kicking a pile of books out of the way. Flinching, Mrs Mcfall tried again. "When Lula is ready! For now, we wait!"

Harley only considered this for a second as he tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working. "Wait?! So we do nothing?" Another wave of sobs came over him. "This school sucks. Mrs Budgen, she did something! She got suspended! It's just _not fair!_"

"Will you just please calm down, Harley." Mrs Mcfall said softly, but to no avail. He grabbed his bag, pushing over more books as he stormed out of the library, ignoring all the looks from other students. For now, he just wanted to find somewhere quiet so he could calm down by himself.

**A/N: I think I'll do a few one shots or something because I just love these characters. Thank you for reviewing and please let me know what you think! or any suggestions or whatever. **


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